editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Hansi Lo Wang is a national correspondent based at NPR's New York bureau. He covers the changing demographics of the U.S. and breaking news in the Northeast for NPR's Morning Edition , All Things Considered , Weekend Edition , hourly newscasts, and NPR.org. In 2016, his reporting after the church shooting in Charleston, S.C., won a Salute to Excellence National Media Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. He was also part of NPR's award-winning coverage of Pope Francis' tour of the U.S. His profile of a white member of a Boston Chinatown gang won a National Journalism Award from the Asian American Journalists Association in 2014. Since joining NPR in 2010 as a Kroc Fellow , he's contributed to NPR's breaking news coverage of the Orlando nightclub shooting, protests in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, and the trial of George Zimmerman in Florida. Wang previously reported on race, ethnicity, and culture for NPR's Code Switch team. He has also reported forNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Hansi Lo WangTue, 24 Apr 2018 16:50:04 +0000Hansi Lo Wanghttp://wkms.org
Hansi Lo WangDemocratic lawmakers are calling for a subpoena to force the U.S. Census Bureau and Commerce Department to release internal documents about the decision to add a controversial citizenship question to forms for the upcoming national headcount. The request comes two weeks before a congressional oversight hearing on the 2020 census . "We believe these documents are critical for our Committee," write all 18 Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in a letter to its chairman, Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, "to understand the concerns raised internally by career experts at the Census Bureau itself about the dangers of adding this untested new citizenship question to the census — as well as why the Trump Administration disregarded these concerns." The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the Commerce Department. A Commerce Department spokesperson has previously told NPR the documents will not be released until after the May 8 hearing . The agency is preparingDemocrats Push For Internal Documents On 2020 Census Citizenship Questionhttp://wkms.org/post/democrats-push-internal-documents-2020-census-citizenship-question
94015 as http://wkms.orgTue, 24 Apr 2018 14:21:48 +0000Democrats Push For Internal Documents On 2020 Census Citizenship QuestionHansi Lo WangIncomplete questionnaires for the 2020 census, including those that leave the controversial citizenship question unanswered, will still be included in the upcoming U.S. headcount, the Census Bureau's top official confirmed Wednesday to lawmakers. "We process many surveys with incomplete responses. The census [was] certainly one of those [surveys] in the past. It will be in the future," the bureau's acting director, Ron Jarmin, testified on Capitol Hill during a House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee hearing on the 2020 census . Asked by Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York whether people who don't fill out the citizenship question on the census form would be counted, Jarmin replied, "Yes, but we would definitely encourage people to fill it out as completely as possible." Calls to boycott the census have been circulating on social media since the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census form was announced in late March, despite warnings fromSkipping The 2020 Census Citizenship Question? You'll Still Be Countedhttp://wkms.org/post/skipping-2020-census-citizenship-question-youll-still-be-counted
93797 as http://wkms.orgThu, 19 Apr 2018 15:58:47 +0000Skipping The 2020 Census Citizenship Question? You'll Still Be CountedHansi Lo Wang2 More Lawsuits Join Legal Fight Over 2020 Census Citizenship Questionhttp://wkms.org/post/two-more-lawsuits-join-legal-fight-over-2020-census-citizenship-question
93714 as http://wkms.orgWed, 18 Apr 2018 02:13:44 +00002 More Lawsuits Join Legal Fight Over 2020 Census Citizenship QuestionHansi Lo WangUpdated April 24 Officials from the U.S. Census Bureau and Commerce Department, which oversees the census, are expected to be grilled on Capitol Hill next month about the addition of a controversial citizenship question to the 2020 census form. They are set to appear before lawmakers at a public hearing scheduled for May 8, according to a statement from Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The hearing comes after testimony by the bureau's acting director, Ron Jarmin, during a House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee hearing on the 2020 census. It was held weeks after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross's announcement last month of his approval of a Justice Department request for a question to be added to 2020 census forms. The announcement has launched lawsuits from more than two dozen cities and states that want the question removed. The Justice Department says it needs a better count of votingHouse To Hold Hearing On Controversial Census Citizenship Questionhttp://wkms.org/post/house-hold-hearing-controversial-census-citizenship-question
93412 as http://wkms.orgThu, 12 Apr 2018 13:43:22 +0000House To Hold Hearing On Controversial Census Citizenship QuestionHansi Lo WangNew York state is leading a group of 17 states, seven cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in a lawsuit against the Census Bureau and Commerce Department to try to remove a new citizenship question from the 2020 census questionnaire. It comes more than a week after California filed a similar lawsuit in San Francisco federal court against Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the bureau, and Census Bureau officials. The states joining New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's lawsuit filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. The cities are Washington, D.C.; Chicago; New York; Philadelphia; Providence, R.I.; Seattle; and San Francisco, plus the United States Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan group. The census has not asked all U.S. households about citizenship since 1950 . The17 States, 7 Cities Sue To Remove Citizenship Question From 2020 Censushttp://wkms.org/post/17-states-7-cities-sue-remove-citizenship-question-2020-census
92932 as http://wkms.orgTue, 03 Apr 2018 16:39:51 +000017 States, 7 Cities Sue To Remove Citizenship Question From 2020 CensusHansi Lo WangCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Latino students make up the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group enrolled in U.S. colleges since 2000. But they face one of the lowest graduation rates in the country. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports on how one school is trying to change that. HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: One of the newest schools to be designated a Hispanic-serving institution, also known as an HSI, is Montclair State University in New Jersey. Being an HSI means at least 1 out of 4 students at your school identifies as Latino. And for Brian Gutierrez, a senior at Montclair State, it's hard to believe there are that many Latino undergrads at a school. BRIAN GUTIERREZ: To me, that's crazy. WANG: Why is that crazy? GUTIERREZ: That's crazy because when you think of Hispanics, a lot of time, they don't think that we go towards higher education. A lot of people look down on us. WANG: Gutierrez is president of Montclair State's Latin American Student Organization. When heN.J. University Works To Improve Graduation Rates For Latinos http://wkms.org/post/nj-university-works-improve-graduation-rates-latinos
92865 as http://wkms.orgMon, 02 Apr 2018 09:06:00 +0000N.J. University Works To Improve Graduation Rates For Latinos Hansi Lo WangThe announcement of the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census questionnaire has launched calls for lawsuits, legislation and now multiple congressional hearings. In a letter written to the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has oversight of the U.S. Census Bureau , four Democratic senators are calling for a hearing on the upcoming national head count. Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Tom Carper of Delaware, Gary Peters of Michigan and Claire McCaskill of Missouri — the committee's ranking member — are requesting testimony from Census Bureau staff and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the bureau and made the decision to add the citizenship question. They cite deep concerns about the question as well as the lack of permanent leadership at the bureau and the operational challenges of carrying out the 2020 census. "Together, these problems risk a substantial undercount of persons in the 2020 Census with wideDemocrats Call For Senate Hearing Over 2020 Census And Citizenship Questionhttp://wkms.org/post/democrats-call-senate-hearing-over-2020-census-and-citizenship-question
92766 as http://wkms.orgFri, 30 Mar 2018 14:05:51 +0000Democrats Call For Senate Hearing Over 2020 Census And Citizenship QuestionHansi Lo WangFor the 2020 census, couples living together will be asked to define their relationship to their partners in a new way – "same-sex" or "opposite-sex"? The Census Bureau announced the change Thursday in its report to Congress on the questions all U.S. households will see on questionnaires used for the upcoming national headcount. The new response categories for the relationship question come after Census Bureau researchers found that using the terms "same-sex" and "opposite-sex" on the census form could improve the federal government's estimates of how many same-sex couples are living in the U.S. Some demographers anticipate the change may help produce the most comprehensive national data yet on same-sex couples that can better inform public policy affecting LGBT people. 'Some people do occasionally make mistakes' Conducted once a decade, the U.S. census began collecting data about same-sex couples in 1990, when the "unmarried partner" category was added to the relationship question to2020 Census Will Ask About Same-Sex Relationshipshttp://wkms.org/post/2020-census-will-ask-about-same-sex-relationships
92752 as http://wkms.orgFri, 30 Mar 2018 09:02:00 +00002020 Census Will Ask About Same-Sex RelationshipsHansi Lo WangCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: We have a major announcement tonight about the upcoming 2020 census. The Commerce Department, which oversees the census, says the questionnaire will include a question about citizenship. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang covers demographics and all things census-related. And he joins us now to explain what this means. Hi, Hansi. HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: Hey, Ari. SHAPIRO: Why is the Commerce Department adding a citizenship question to the census? WANG: Well, the Commerce Department says it's responding to a request it's received from the Justice Department, which sent a letter back in December saying that it needed to add a citizen question to the census in order to get a better count of citizens in the country, specifically voting-age citizens, because the Justice Department says it needs to have better data to better enforce the Voting Rights Act, specifically provisions to prevent racial discrimination. But a lot of civil rights advocates2020 Census Will Reinstate Question On Citizenship Statushttp://wkms.org/post/2020-census-will-reinstate-question-citizenship-status
92564 as http://wkms.orgTue, 27 Mar 2018 01:50:00 +00002020 Census Will Reinstate Question On Citizenship StatusHansi Lo WangCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau is giving us a glimpse into our future. According to the latest population projections, adults 65 and older will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history by the year 2035. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang has more. HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: Baby boomers are driving this graying of America. It's a group that Ronald Lee has been tracking for decades at the University of California, Berkeley. That's where he was a founding director... RONALD LEE: ...Of the Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging. WANG: And he says you can think about the aging of baby boomers like a pig being swallowed whole by a python. LEE: The pig is a baby boomer. It's not that they're greedy. It could as well be a sheep or a big rock. It's just - it's a bulge. WANG: And as this bulge of baby boomers moves through each decade, they're making dramatic shifts in the country's demographics. By 2030, all baby boomersProjections Show An Aging U.S. Populationhttp://wkms.org/post/projections-show-aging-us-population
91913 as http://wkms.orgWed, 14 Mar 2018 09:17:00 +0000Projections Show An Aging U.S. PopulationHansi Lo WangFor the 2020 census, the U.S. Census Bureau is changing how it will ask black people to designate their race. Under the check box for "Black or African American," the bureau is adding a new space on the census questionnaire for participants to write in their non-Hispanic origins, according to a recent memo from the head of the 2020 census . "African American," "Jamaican" and "Nigerian" are listed as examples of origins on a questionnaire the bureau is testing for 2020 . The change means many black people in the U.S. may have to take a closer look at their family trees to answer what can be a thorny question: Where are you really from? While many black immigrants can cite ties to a specific country, that question is difficult, if not impossible, for many U.S.-born African-Americans to answer. The bureau has not responded to NPR's questions about why it is making this change to both the "Black" category and the "White" category," which will also include a new write-in area for origins .2020 Census Will Ask Black People About Their Exact Originshttp://wkms.org/post/first-time-2020-census-will-ask-black-americans-about-their-exact-origins
91891 as http://wkms.orgTue, 13 Mar 2018 20:26:00 +00002020 Census Will Ask Black People About Their Exact OriginsHansi Lo WangHigh school students across the United States have been leading the call for more gun control since the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Some have called them the " voice of a generation on gun control " that may be able to turn the tide of a long-simmering debate. But past polling suggests that people younger than 30 in the U.S. are no more liberal on gun control than their parents or grandparents — despite diverging from their elders on the legalization of marijuana, same-sex marriage and other social issues. "Sometimes people surprise us, and this is one of those instances that we don't know why," says Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of Gallup. Over the past three years, his polling organization asked the under-30 crowd whether gun laws in the U.S. should be made more strict, less strict or kept as they are now. On average, people between the ages of 18 and 29 were 1 percentage point more likely to say gun laws should be more strict than the overall national average of 57 percent. Millennials Are No More Liberal On Gun Control Than Elders, Polls Showhttp://wkms.org/post/millennials-are-no-more-liberal-gun-control-elders-polls-show
91091 as http://wkms.orgSat, 24 Feb 2018 22:36:26 +0000Millennials Are No More Liberal On Gun Control Than Elders, Polls ShowHansi Lo WangNPR's "Take A Number" series is exploring problems around the world — and solutions — through the lens of a single number. One of the places many people are first prescribed opioids is a hospital emergency room. But in one of the busiest ERs in the U.S., doctors are relying less than they used to on oxycodone, Percocet, Vicodin and other opioids to ease patients' pain. In an unusual program designed to help stem the opioid epidemic, the emergency department at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J., has been exploring alternative painkillers and methods. That strategy has led to a 58 percent drop in the ER's opioid prescriptions in the program's first year, according to numbers provided by St. Joseph's Healthcare System's chair of emergency medicine, Dr. Mark Rosenberg . "There is a complete change in philosophy, a complete change in culture in the department," says Rosenberg, who launched the Alternatives to Opiates program in 2016 with Dr. Alexis LaPietra , theER Reduces Opioid Use By More Than Half With Dry Needles, Laughing Gashttp://wkms.org/post/er-reduces-opioid-use-more-half-dry-needles-laughing-gas
90873 as http://wkms.orgTue, 20 Feb 2018 20:29:28 +0000ER Reduces Opioid Use By More Than Half With Dry Needles, Laughing GasHansi Lo WangCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit DAVID GREENE, HOST: All right, there is a lot that goes into filming a movie or TV show in the streets of New York City. (SOUNDBITE OF HORNS HONKING) GREENE: We just took you right there, didn't we? I mean, you need lights. You need cameras. You also need parking. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang shadowed some of the little-known workers who helped bring entertainment to our screens. They are called parking production assistants. HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: Rush hour has come to Lower Manhattan, and Yasser Walton is on the hunt for open parking spots. How did you spot that? You looked at the rearview mirror? YASSER WALTON: Yeah. I got to look all over the place. WANG: As a parking production assistant, Walton doesn't park cars. But he does have to protect parking spaces on the street for the equipment trucks and trailers for this TV shoot. All the vehicles do have parking permits from the city. But the thing is, not every New Yorker pays attention to the no parkingLights, Camera, Parkinghttp://wkms.org/post/lights-camera-parking
90343 as http://wkms.orgFri, 09 Feb 2018 09:52:00 +0000Lights, Camera, ParkingHansi Lo WangThe U.S. Census Bureau has announced it will change the way it counts troops deployed overseas, while keeping its policy on counting prisoners for the upcoming national headcount in 2020. How these two populations are factored into the 2020 census could affect the balance of power in government at both the federal and local levels. For the last census in 2010, all overseas military personnel were counted at the address they provided at enlistment. But in 2020, deployed service members will be counted as residents of the bases or ports they were temporarily assigned away from, according to a memo released this week by the Census Bureau. Incarcerated people will continue to be counted as residents of their correctional facilities, despite calls to count them at their home addresses. Tracking deployed troops For many of the communities surrounding military bases around the country, the bureau's decision is seen as a long-awaited victory after years of advocating for a change in policy. 2020 Census To Count Deployed Troops At Home Bases, Prisoners At Facilitieshttp://wkms.org/post/2020-census-count-deployed-troops-home-bases-prisoners-facilities
90287 as http://wkms.orgThu, 08 Feb 2018 10:02:00 +00002020 Census To Count Deployed Troops At Home Bases, Prisoners At FacilitiesHansi Lo WangThe race question is going to get complicated for many people who identify as white on the U.S. census. Since 1960, when U.S. residents were first allowed to self-report their race on the census, just answering "White" has been enough to complete the race question. But the federal government is now preparing to essentially ask non-Hispanic white people where they and their ancestors are from as part of the Census Bureau's inquiry into their racial identity. Last month, the Census Bureau announced it's adding a write-in area for the "White" category on the 2020 census questionnaire so that participants can provide their "origins." "Print, for example, German, Irish, English, Italian, Lebanese, Egyptian, etc.," read the instructions on the form the bureau is using in a practice run of the 2020 census in Rhode Island's Providence County beginning in March. Those suggested answers are among the largest U.S. population groups descending from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa —2020 Census Will Ask White People More About Their Ethnicitieshttp://wkms.org/post/2020-census-will-ask-whites-more-about-their-ethnicity
89936 as http://wkms.orgThu, 01 Feb 2018 10:05:00 +00002020 Census Will Ask White People More About Their EthnicitiesHansi Lo WangThere's been a decades-long push for the U.S. Census Bureau to collect more detailed data on people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa, also known as MENA. Advocates of that campaign hit another roadblock Friday, when the Census Bureau announced it is not planning to add a MENA category to the 2020 census. "We do feel that more research and testing is needed," Karen Battle, chief of the bureau's population division, explained Friday at a public meeting on 2020 census preparations . Researchers at the bureau have been looking into how to better collect race and ethnicity information from census participants of Middle Eastern or North African descent. In a report released last year , they concluded that "it is optimal to use a dedicated 'Middle Eastern or North African' response category" on the 2020 census questionnaires. "The inclusion of a MENA category helps MENA respondents to more accurately report their MENA identities," the researchers wrote. But at Friday's meeting,No Middle Eastern Or North African Category On 2020 Census, Bureau Sayshttp://wkms.org/post/no-middle-eastern-or-north-african-category-2020-census-bureau-says
89790 as http://wkms.orgMon, 29 Jan 2018 22:39:39 +0000No Middle Eastern Or North African Category On 2020 Census, Bureau SaysHansi Lo WangUpdated at 3:36 p.m. ET Friday A Census Bureau announcement about the race and ethnicity questions for the 2020 census suggests the Trump administration will not support Obama-era proposals to change how the U.S. government collects information about race and ethnicity , census experts say. If approved, the proposals would change how the Latino population is counted and create a new checkbox on federal surveys for people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa. Research by the Census Bureau shows these revisions could improve the accuracy of the upcoming national headcount in 2020. Any changes would carry wide implications for legislative redistricting, civil rights laws and health statistics. So far, though, the White House's Office of Management and Budget, which sets the standards for race and ethnicity data for federal agencies, has not released any decisions. OMB has also not responded to NPR's request for comment. Still, on Friday, the Census Bureau's head of the 20202020 Census To Keep Racial, Ethnic Categories Used In 2010http://wkms.org/post/census-request-suggests-no-race-ethnicity-data-changes-2020-experts-say
89656 as http://wkms.orgFri, 26 Jan 2018 15:38:34 +00002020 Census To Keep Racial, Ethnic Categories Used In 2010Hansi Lo WangCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: This weekend marks the first anniversary of the Women's March. Last year's demonstrations drew enormous crowds to the nation's capitol and other cities around the world. Today one of the places that protesters are gathering is New York City. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang joins us now from just outside Central Park. Good morning, Hansi. HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. SIMON: What are you seeing? WANG: Well, I'm here right by the site where the rally is going to start in a few hours. There's tents up. They were checking the sound system a little bit earlier. And I'm seeing lots of marchers starting to gather and lots of those pink hats that we saw last year - those pussyhats. Women are wearing them as they gather to get ready to march later today. SIMON: Yeah. You've been speaking with some of the marchers, haven't you? WANG: I have been. And a lot of folks that I've talked to today came out last year. They said they for sureNew York City Prepares For Women's Marchhttp://wkms.org/post/new-york-city-prepares-womens-march
89345 as http://wkms.orgSat, 20 Jan 2018 12:58:00 +0000New York City Prepares For Women's MarchHansi Lo WangIn 1968, 1,300 black men from the Memphis Department of Public Works went on strike after a malfunctioning truck crushed two garbage collectors to death. The strike led to marches with demonstrators carrying signs declaring "I Am A Man." Their organizing efforts drew support from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. before his assassination. "We were just fighting for equal payment and equal rights from the sanitation department," Elmore Nickleberry, one of the workers who went on strike and continued to work for the city decades later, told NPR last year. On Monday night, the NAACP Image Awards honored the sanitation workers who went on strike 50 years ago with its Vanguard Award. Derrick Johnson, the NAACP's president and CEO, says the country's oldest civil rights organization honored the workers for fighting for safer conditions and better pay. "There would have never been a civil rights movement if individuals were not being exploited for free and cheap labor," Johnson says. "And theNAACP Honors Memphis Sanitation Workers Who Went On Strike In 1968http://wkms.org/post/naacp-honors-memphis-sanitation-workers-who-went-strike-1968
89117 as http://wkms.orgMon, 15 Jan 2018 23:06:41 +0000NAACP Honors Memphis Sanitation Workers Who Went On Strike In 1968